Category: PSALMS

Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day seven)
“What is man that thou art mindful of him?and the son of man that thou visitest him?” (vs 4–KJV)  When David calculates human worth,  he does not reference accomplishments or bank accounts.  He considers the “visits” of God.  It is the King James translation of the Hebrew word paqad.  The New American Version uses the word “care”.  (Caring for a person= visiting him in his need.  See James 1:27.)  When Jesus promised ” I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you” (John 14:18), He was continuing a long pattern of God’s love for the human race.  He comes to us!  He visits us!  Can you think back on a time when the Lord came to you in a time of need?  When you experienced the comfort of His guiding presence?  If so, have you reflected on that experience and come to David’s conclusion?  You are loved.  He comes to you in your need.

Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day six).
“When I consider your heavens” (vs 3)  If God is the creator of the material world (as Christians believe) then it is reasonable to expect all things to echo and reflect His character.  A sweet child doesn’t paint an ugly cruel picture.  His “nature” is revealed in what he creates.  So with God.   To be out in nature can, therefore, be  a spiritual experience.  “The heavens declare your glory”  says Psalm 19:1.  “Consider the lilies of the field” counseled Jesus to His disciples.  As Wendell Berry says,  “The best argument for God is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup”.  In Romans 1:20, the Bible says , “For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal plan and divine nature have been clearly seen through what has been made“.  Part of the weakness of this present generation is our exile from natural things–our blindness to the creator who made them.

Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day five) I saw this quote again this week. “A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Creation, nature, and the “work of Your Hands” (Psalm 8: 3, 6) satisfies our nature/need to worship, and brings glory to the Living God who created it all. He has displayed His majesty, strength, and power for us to be in awe of Him. He has met our need and desire to worship (something or someone) with Himself. Our worship of the Living God is both for His Glory (the praise of His creation) and our good (becoming like Him).

Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day seven)
“The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.”  (110:2)  It is a strange word to modern ears.  Aggressive.  Assertive.  A God with a back-bone.  Not apologizing to the human race for putting an end to its rebellion, for requiring respect and obedience, for using force.  If people of the 1st century rejected the Messiah because He was not war-like, people of the 21st century do so because He is (or will be).  Perhaps we need this reminder.  The race of men is in active rebellion against God.  His wrath is tempered with mercy (“not wishing any to perish”–2 Peter 3:9) but eventually He will act with great decisiveness to bring the rebellion to an end.  “God has not given us a spirit of timidity” says 2 Timothy 1:7.  It must be because He is not timid, Himself.  I will see you in a few hours, dear friends.

Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day six)
“The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ ” (110:1)  Sometimes the best thing to do is wait.  To rest.  Sometimes the instruction from God is to sit and let Him do the work.  “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” was the promise that Moses received in Exodus 14:14.  It isn’t always the case.  Until Christ had completed His assignment (the cross) sitting would have been disobedience.  After the cross, further effort would have been disbelief.  Sometimes the Spirit of God whispers to us, “Wait! Rest! Trust!  I will do the work now!”  May God give us the grace to recognize when this moment comes for us.  Sometimes our assignment is to obey and then to leave it in God’s hands.  “Wait on the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait on the Lord.”  Psalms 27:14.

Re:Verse reading–Psalm 2, Psalm 110 (day five)
The words of Robert Robinson are on my mind. “Tune my heart to sing Thy Grace”. Somewhere along the way, I remember reading that the Psalms help to “tune our hearts”. Anytime I play my guitar, I always tune it first thing. It’s frequently out of tune. Whether from change in climate (temperature/humidity), or being “handled” it will not function as designed until it is measured against something that has perfect pitch. The climate of a fallen world (temptation, stress, tragedy, fear, sin) can quickly cause our hearts to become out of tune (out of “step with the Holy Spirit”- Galatians 5:25). We regularly need to hear the “perfect pitch” of the Holy Spirit through scripture, sermons, stillness, study, and community. We need to constantly ask: “What do I need to know/learn/do?” In Psalm 2, the writer proclaims, “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Sounds in tune to me.